Wafer-to-wafer (W2W) bonding is deployed in a wide range of semiconductor process applications for forming semiconductor devices. Examples of semiconductor process applications where wafer-to-wafer bonding is applied include substrate engineering and fabrication of integrated circuits, packaging and encapsulation of micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS) and stacking of many processed layers (3D-integration) of pure microelectronics. W2W bonding involves aligning the surfaces of two or more wafers, transporting the aligned wafers into a wafer bonding chamber, bringing the wafer surfaces in contact and forming a strong bond interface between them. The overall processing yield and manufacturing cost of the so produced semiconductor devices and ultimately the cost of the electronic products that incorporate these devices depend greatly upon the quality of the wafer-to-wafer bond. The quality of the W2W bond depends upon the alignment of the wafers, the preservation of the wafer alignment during the transport and the bonding process, and the uniformity and integrity of the bond strength across the wafer bond interfaces.
Furthermore, extreme care is needed during the transport, positioning, centering and alignment of the wafers in order to avoid fracture, surface damage, or warping of the wafers. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an industrial-scale device for handling, centering and aligning wafers that protects them from fracture, surface damage or warping.